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Welcome to the Sheridan Shore Sailing School!

"Sailing... an exciting lifelong sport that the whole family can enjoy!"

-Zac Hernandez

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For more than 75 years, Sheridan Shore Sailing School has been proud to offer sailors of all ages the opportunity to experience the thrill, challenge and exhilaration of sailing. All of our coaches are U.S. Sailing Level 1 Small Boat and First AID/ CPR Certified.

Our classes feature a low student-to-instructor ratio to teach the skills of sailing and seamanship to grade school, junior high school sailors, high school students and adults of all ability levels. In addition to our youth sailing summer camp, we also coach the Evanston Township, Loyola Academy, and Beacon Academy High School teams in the spring and fall. We have also partnered with the North Suburban Recreation Association to offer sailing to children and adults with disabilities.

In 2014, Sheridan Shore Sailing School became accredited as one of 26 US Sailing Community Sailing Centers. This honor recognizes that SSSS exceeds all the required standards set forth by U.S. Sailing and maintains an impressive commitment to high quality public access to sailing through our educational resources and outstanding staff.

The sailing school uses the facilities of the Wilmette Harbor Club, located on the North Shore of Chicago at Wilmette Harbor in Gillson Park.

Sheridan Shore Sailing School is proud to announce our accreditation as a U.S. Sailing Community Sailing Center. Organizations that are recognized enjoy increased visibility as the best facilities in the country. With over 1,400 identified sailing programs in the U.S. Sailing database, the Community Sailing Center Sanctioning Plan seeks to identify those programs who, in the eyes of U.S. Sailing, are offering the highest level of education and public access. As of this year, there are only 26 accredited U.S. Sailing Community Sailing Centers in the United States. Sheridan Shore Sailing School is one of four in the Midwest, and one of only two in Illinois.

During the course of U.S. Sailing’s evaluation, Sheridan Shore Sailing School met or exceeded all the required standards and had an impressive commitment to high quality public access sailing. Additionally, the goal of the U.S. Community Sailing Center network is to help formalize the level of instruction throughout the United States. As one of these programs, we use boats that meet high safety requirements to teach the national standards set in place by U.S. Sailing. Ultimately, this network of U.S. Community Sailing Centers will allow students to experience the same level of education across the country.

The hope is that the individuality, and successes, of each organization will be recognized as part of the best Community Sailing Network in the Country. For more information on U.S. Sailing Community Sailing Centers please visit their website.

Sheridan Shore Sailing School Scholarship Fund

Sheridan Shore Sailing School is pleased to offer a Scholarship Fund of over $5000, which is distributed to a handful of students each year on a need-based basis. We want to thank the many organizations that assist with our scholarships: Beacon Academy, Evanston Sailing Club, Loyola Academy Sailing Club, and The Friederici Fund.

Scholarships are available for tuition, gear, and equipment. Our goal is to get as many children on the water in order to enjoy the lifelong sport of sailing.

The deadline for applications are as follows:

April 1st - for our Spring High School Sailing SeasonJune 10th - Summer Sailing School ProgramSeptember 1st - Fall High School Sailing Season

New Adult Lesson Format

Sheridan Shore Sailing School is excited to announce that all of our Adult Lessons our going to taught in conjunction with Sea Safaris Sailing School. We offer basic through advanced skills including topical subjects – coastal navigation, celestial navigation and marine weather for children through adult. Skills gained through our courses prepare students to safely sail small through large craft in and beyond their home waters. Sea Safaris Sailing School instructors are all certified to teach American Sailing Association courses which upon successful completion, offer students certification. We also offers refresher, tutored or custom instruction for individual or families to improve sailing skills.